Not much has happened since our slog of a season ended, but what did happen should be surprising to anybody.

Our first order of business was dismissing Bobby Valentine, which we did last Thursday. This is something that was entirely predictable, appropriate, and correct. We all know that he shouldn’t even have been hired in the first place. It was awful. He just wasn’t a good fit for our clubhouse, and the whole situation with him at the helm was completely dysfunctional. There’s no need to go into specifics, but suffice it to say that there is a certain degree of professionalism that I think players and fans alike expect from a manager and that Bobby Valentine’s conception of that degree differed from ours. Anyway, look for John Farrell and Tim Bogar to be on the brass’s radar. Other possibilities include Torey Lovullo, former Pawtucket manager and current Jays first base coach; Joe McEwing, Other Sox bench coach; Tim Wallach, Dodgers third base coach; Brad Ausmus; and last but not least, our very own Jason Varitek. Onward and forward!

Our blockbuster deal with the Dodgers is finally done. For Nick Punto, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Adrian Gonzalez, we took on Rubby De La Rosa and Jerry Sands in addition to previously acquired James Loney, Ivan De Jesus, and Allen Webster.